The year 1999 probably wasn’t one many hunters considered significant from a deer management perspective, but it sure was to me. It was the first year on record that more antlerless deer were harvested nationwide than antlered bucks. This represented a monumental turning point following decades of buck-dominated harvests that had produced record deer herds heavily skewed toward does and few bucks surviving beyond their first set of headgear. Thankfully, much progress has been made during the past decade and most hunters today realize that doe harvest is necessary in many areas, yet many questions remain.
When?
When during the...